Redshirts

Kindergarten, and "7 other things worth..." Sorry, I mean: 7 people worth knowing about.

My daughter and I were at the town pool over the weekend. I got to talking with the parents of a boy who will be a rising kindergartener this week.

Actually, strike that: he would have been a kindergartener.

But since our town is starting the year with virtual education only, they’re pulling him out. No alternative plan yet; for now, they’re just redshirting. They’ll do kindergarten next year.

About 20 percent of kindergarten parents wind up holding their kids back in a normal year. But redshirting can be controversial.

So, I was interested to come across a study from Stanford University a few years ago that looked at whether it’s better to send kids to school on time or a year later.

Short version: They say all things being equal, parents should redshirt.

Instead of focusing on purely academic data, the the Stanford researchers set their sights on figuring out how being the oldest or the youngest affected things like kids’ mental health, discipline, and self-control—all of which can ult…